Agnus Dei
by FalloutAngel101
Summary: Heather Black, a Priestess whose sacrificed everything for the Church, lost her best friend in Sola Mira, but what happens when she finds him years later only now he's not the same. BH/OC
1. Taken

I was thirteen when they came for me; a girl barely getting to know the world in the town of Jericho as I sat in the back of the small cabin and watched while the men in dark robes spoke to my father in hushed whispers. Mother told me about these men from that polluted city run by those crazy catholic men my father used to work for. She told me it was why we moved so far away from them. Their ways were good intentioned but corrupt beyond belief. Don't get me wrong we're devoted Catholics but crazy is crazy. Our family believed in free worship and life, and to be confined in smog choked city wasn't what my mother wanted for me.

As I sat bowing my head before my dinner plate I strained my attentive ears to listen. My father was putting up a fight with his unheard words, but when his head craned in defeat I started to worry. Soon, my mother got up from the table giving me a calm look as she padded over next to her husband and began speaking with the strangers once again. I saw her shoulders begin to shake as she shuddered a sob she tried to hide.

I wanted to know what was going on. What was making my mother and father so upset? As if the weather was reading the settings of my house it started to thunder. My large brown eyes watched as my mother regained herself and said a few more words and with a glint from the crosses hanging off their necks in the candlelight the hooded men slid out the door. Relief flooded my chest. Maybe they left for good?

Mother walked over to me. Her green eyes were watery and red. "Heather I need you to listen very closely to me". The tone in her voice scared me beyond belief. There was no softness, no smoothe words that flew from her mouth. It was a serious tone for a serious subject. I glanced at father who was still at the door tensed up and facing the direction the men had left.

"You're going to go with those men out there. They're going to take you somewhere where they'll make you strong, strong enough to fight off the monsters okay?"

Away? "What's going on mom? Aren't those the bad guys from the city?"

She brushed a strand of chocolate hair away from my forehead, "They're not bad guys dear. They're doing what God told them to do, and that is to bring you with them so that you can be strong for God". I heard it in her voice. The snake like hiss that laced around her false meanings almost made me question her, but I knew better.

"Why me?" I ask.

A smile broke, "Because you are special Heather".

"Will I ever come back home?" The thunder outside began to crack with lightening sheathing the room in a white blanket.

She pressed her lips to my forehead, "Someday".

The front door opened before one of the men with a cross tattooed to his forehead came in and nodded at my mother, "Time is short".

Mother kissed me and whispered a few short words in my ear, words I would never soon forget. Father walked over, tears in his eyes, as he strapped a leather bracelet around my wrist that had a silver cross dangling from it.

"Be strong Heather", he said hugging me tight enough I could feel his heartbeat through his clothes, "And don't forget we love you".

I didn't cry. I couldn't find myself too; maybe that was why they chose me, because I knew when to be strong and when to let loose. The tall man with a tattoo wrapped me in a dark cloak and after one final look he led me out into the thunderstorm ridden wasteland. On the fast bike I watched my small house on the outskirts of Jericho disappear onto the horizon as we headed east to the capital city.

**Just a starter chapter. I know it's short I'll make it up with the next one:D REVIEW PLEASE!**


	2. Insomnia

**Thanks for all the favs and adds guys it's appreciated. Would love some reviews to go along with them:D**

( Four years later)

The blood that pumped vigorously through my body felt like lava. My legs heaved as the muscles in them clenched tightly in anticipation. The light, I kept saying to myself, just head for the light. I used a small indention in the stone to dig my boot into and heave my way up and landed on a surface that jutted only a foot from the hive wall. I saw black flashes of moving objects all around me, and wind caressing the back of my neck.

_No way am I going to get beat this time._

Using my momentum I chimney jumped wall to wall until I was halfway near the top. It was just like Priest Vaken to make us practice in an abandoned hive where every step could be the one to lead you to your doom or several broken bones. This place was supposed to be the birth place of many Priest. At the age of twenty an apprentice would be left alone in here while a captured vampire would be released in the maze of tunnels. It was up to the lone Priest to hunt the creature down without being killed, but until then this was a training ground for agility and speed.

"Moving too slow Heather", a familiar voice came from my right where I saw Michael using only one hand to cling to the wall grinning at me.

I set my jaw, wiped the sweat and dirt gobs from my forehead and heaved myself up farther. Once I was up on a walkway dotted with caves and winding up to the opening above like a spiral staircase I sighed. Michael jumped up beside me. His black attire and tan skin almost making him one with his surroundings. We both took off at the same time up the spiral. The caves and crevices that dotted the wall became a blur we were moving so fast, and when we could come to a blockade it was quickly traversed by using the adjacent wall to summersault over.

Juno, an Asian girl only a year younger than me with shimmering black hair, was below us but making quick time against Jason the other apprentice next to her. I stole my attention away from my brothers and sisters and focused on Michael and me. The ledge walkway ended and we both dug our feet into the vertical stone wall, using the momentum our speed gave us, to jog up it. A few more jumps, turns and falls later we both leaped into the sunlight. I had never been so relieved to feel the wastelands burning rays on my skin.

The masters waited for other eight of us to surface. I fought to keep myself straight up and against the urge to just fall over and breathe hoarsely until I passed out. Michael had made it in just barely ahead of me and was already grinning in his victory. Michael and I had always played secret competitions with each other, and this one was going to be the one to decide who's paying who thirty credits for our day off. I guess I could kiss my holofield goodbye. I looked over at my friend who was still breathing harshly through his nose as sweat poured down his dark, shaved hair and skin.

"Glad you…can finally keep up with me this time", he nudged me with an elbow.

I grinned back, squinting my face against the harsh sunlight, "I was actually ahead of you there for a little bit".

He made a weak and dismissive gesture, "Just letting you get your hopes up".

We both laughed dripping with sweat and muscles fatigued. We stopped when we saw the three Masters glaring at us and joined the line of other apprentices.

"The last five will run the course again", Vaken said with slight distaste toward them, "You will finish on time or you will be here until you do so".

I thanked God I didn't decide to slack off today.

We were all tired and weary as we came back into the city with our dark hoods over our heads. A secret entrance, just for Priest, allowed us to come in without being noticed and pointed at by the citizens. Right now we wouldn't be so scrutinized since we didn't bear the mark of the Priest just yet, but rumors always floated of the men and women in dark robes.

Michael followed beside me always looking up into the gray sky whenever there was a chance. I found out not too long ago that my dark haired friend was taken when he was twelve. There were rumors about his parents resisting and the Church taking action against it, but those were just rumors. Every parent knew that when the Church chose your child resisting was a sin, and a sin results in banishment or something else. The polluted sky above the city rumbled with the threat of an oncoming storm as we made our way into the secret underground training grounds. The tunnels were old, dark and looked abandoned with the lack of light save small flickering lamps. It gave me room to think.

The day always ended with intense weapons training and hours of text reading. I swore we spent more time in the bible than physically training. After passage studies it was nearly midnight. I didn't sleep much. I hadn't had a full nights rest since the day they took me. I came to accept the fact that seeing my parents again were out of the question. Already their faces were nothing but blurs in my memory and their voices mixing in with those of everyone else around me. They were faded in my history nothing more and nothing less.

I focused on holographic targets bounding around the room. They were shaped like the very vampires we kill but were see through and silent. With my hands tucked into my sleeves my eyes surveyed their movements. Vampires were sporadic in their fighting style; never really having any pattern to the way they moved. It was based on each individual how one moved and on the situation. We were taught to learn their behavior, to predict when and where they would move.

The underground level was silent since most of the apprentices were asleep in their rooms. Only the occasional chants coming from the church above as well as the hissing of some underground pipes penetrated the air. We would all be forced to wake up in six hours for another day of hell. It was all the same and became somewhat as a routine for me.

My brown eyes darted fast to follow the moving objects. In a flash two daggers about the length of my forearm appeared seemingly out of nowhere glistened in the low light as I propelled them toward the targets. Each of them hit somewhere on the body. The first landed in the holo creatures chest making it fade instantly, but the second dagger merely stuck into the other vampires shoulder. The holo targets were programmed to react like a normal vampire would. Which meant the creature howled and came dashing quickly and maddeningly as if it had been possessed by Satin himself.

The jagged outline it ran in gave me the perfect opportunity to predict it's trajectory. Using one of my cross stars hidden in my sleeves I ran up the adjacent wall, using the height advantage it gave me, and spiraled the star into its skull as it fell into the path it had set for itself. The fake predator sparked and dematerialized into the air.

"You're aim was a little off on that last one".

I turned around still breathing a little heavily from the adrenaline rush.

I smirked at Michael as he leaned up against the door frame. His eyes looked droopy as if he had woken up from a deep slumber. Already my friend was starting to show signs of a 5 o'clock shadow coming on which he liked to keep clean and shaven.

"Nightmares pretty boy?" I asked as I walked over to grab my daggers from the floor.

He yawned and stretched his arms out, "Doesn't everyone these days?"

I shrugged indifferently, "You get used to them after a while, can't have 'em if you don't sleep".

"But you need sleep or you'll get careless", he corrected.

I saw him frown as I rolled my eyes, "Does it matter? It's not like we see any real action these days anyway". I walked around looking for the cross star I threw at my last mob.

The missing weapon sparked in between Michael's fingers as he held it up with a sly grin, "But you can't beat me if you get careless".

I scoffed stomping over to him, "You and your amusing little competitions against me. We all know Gabriel's going to beat us out once he gets back in the game". Gabriel was the oldest and strongest one of us. Taken when he was practically a teenager he was tested harder than any apprentice has ever been. Some said it was because the elders saw something in him that they didn't see in us. Great for him, I'd always think, it means that the elders have their noses turned while I made all the mistakes I cared to make.

Michael seemed to mull the thought over in his head before cracking a smile, "I can settle for second".

"You can settle for third", I retorted.

A blanket of silence settled over us as we both stared off into the practice field. I fiddled my knives in my hands and chewed on the corner of my lip in thought.

He sighed running his hands through his short black hair, "Heather do you ever question the Church?"

I looked around us to make sure we were in the clear to speak. These clergymen were everywhere. "Why would you say that?"

"I don't know", he shook his head, "Sometimes I feel like I'm doing _their_ bidding instead of Gods".

"Their bidding _is_ Gods", I replied as if I was reciting a mantra, "We do this to protect those we love. Without us who would do it?"

His head throbbed in frustration as he closed his eyes and pressed his nose with two fingers, "Never mind I should have known better than to ask". I saw him fail to crack a smile at me as I gave him a perplexed stare. Michael was always one to try and defuse a personal problem with a smile here and an inside joke there, "You just work on your aim so I don't have to save you in the future".

I saw his muscles tense under the black shirt he was wearing as he turned around to leave.

"Mike"

He turned as I walked up to him. My gaze was penetrating and if I were to look from his point of view frightening.

"Don't ever say things like that again. If the Clergy were to do away with you…..you know what they do to people to question them, to people who question God", I placed a hand on his shoulder feeling the muscles from years of training under the thin sleep fabric he wore. "I can't lose my best friend".

With that last sentence his lips quirked up into a smile as he patted my cheek playfully after a few moments of silence, "Don't worry kitten I'm not going anywhere". I smirked at the nickname he gave me the first day we met. He said I looked like 'a scared kitten' and he was all but wrong. The first day they brought me back I hid under my bed, not crying, just hiding from the men in black. I would try to remember the quote my mom read to me every night.

_Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand._

Michael came to me. He was just a fifteen year old boy then, his cheeks plump and eyes gleaming with youth. He told me about how they came for him on his father's animal farm in Philistine when he was twelve. The church had established a monastery there and they have watched him closely since he was young. It was almost hard to take in how much Mike had changed since then, how much we both had changed. Rough years of training had taken its toll on my friend.

His dark eyes that were once filled with a childlike playfulness were replaced with the attentiveness of an alert predator. His short plump face and lips filled out along with his body. On Priest there was absolutely no fat to be found, even on women. Our diets were strict and our trainings were endless. Physically we were healthy, but emotionally we were scarred more than anyone cared to admit even with the constant confessions and prayer.

I was still sixteen. My face remained on the childlike side with freckles spread across my ivory skin. My hair was shoulder length and most of the time up in a military style bun unless it was a night like this where it hung in straight strands around my face.

His smile seemed endless as he turned over his shoulder, "Get some sleep. Tomorrows endurance day remember?"

I quirked a brow at him and smiled back and waited until he was down the hallway before I made my way to my room.


	3. The Hurt

**Okay so after I published this story I started reading another fanfiction and I realized that the names Michael and Gabriel are used in another story for the Preist and Black Hat as well. I totally did NOT mean to do that in any way! So I apologize in advance. I was actually thinking of the movie Legion when I was thinking of names :P**

**Anyway thanks for the two Reviews! They inspire me to write faster by the way!**

**(8 years later)**

_Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. __15__ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. __16__ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.__[a]__ Do not be conceited. _

_Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. __19__ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: _

"_If your enemy is hungry, feed him;  
>if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.<br>In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."_

_Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good._

The large bible slammed shut as I huffed feeling a headache coming on. Not only did my toned muscles feel strained beyond belief from today's test, but a pounding pain in my temples had begun to from only the first hour of text reading.

Pulling my feet down from their propped position I stood and stretched. I could only read the bible so many times, not that I was against it. I loved reading new scriptures and such, but considering I've been reading the same ones over and over for as long as my memory stretched wasn't as entertaining to me as it once was. I could barely recall when my mother used to read to me in bed late at night with the candles the only source of light. I could remember the smell of vanilla in the air, from what I wasn't sure.

I grabbed the oversized book and shoved it on the shelf along with other texts I enjoyed reading. Truthfully we were supposed to read for three hours a night after training, but I felt the day's exercise already fatiguing me, seducing me to turn in early. The candle in my room flickered against the metal interior of the walls; shadows waving in corners and crevices like oily snakes. I walked across the cold floor to the window overlooking a portion of the city. Years ago the cold floor would have been foreign to me, but now I had grown used to it. This entire place had melded into my mind as home. Gone was the warm cabin I was lucky enough to sometimes dream about. Gone was the warmth and comfort of another person's touch; my mother's touch if I could remember her face. Everything seemed so black and white now. There was no color anymore save the days we trained beyond the walls of Cathedral City.

I sighed running my hand through my now short brown hair which barely brushed my shoulders. The city was bustling with night life of all sorts. A blanket of white would occasionally sheath them from the signs of the Cathedral. The people looked of nothing more than puppets and zombies. People forced to work or abandon the city. Even the children at a young age were sent to shops right after school.

I shook my head slowly to myself as I propped one arm up on the window frame and leaned my forehead in against the cool glass. It has been so long that I've searched for an answer. Was what we were doing truly Gods will? Or were we so blind with our nose so deep in text books that we refused to see what we truly needed. Was this all for nothing? I couldn't hope to have my questions answered soon and wouldn't dare to ask them to anyone else. All these years I have done the Clergy's bidding. I have passed the test and received the Priest mark on my forehead, but I still didn't know why I was doing this. Maybe Michael was right; we were doing the Clergys' bidding instead of Gods.

A buzz at the door interrupted my thoughts. I pulled a dark robe over my shirtless form and commanded the door to allow entrance. In walked another cloaked form who revealed himself when he lowered the hood. Gabriel, our lead Priest, stood before me with a blank face. Gabriel, next to Michael , was one of my closest friends here in Priesthood. I couldn't explain why we meshed so well. Maybe it had something to do with our superior fighting skills, or maybe the sacrifices we've been through. But over the years Gabriel has changed. I couldn't quite place it but maybe it had something to do with the Clergymen pushing him harder than any other Priest. The things the Elders did to obtain the greatest warriors were limitless.

"Sister Heather", Gabriel bowed his head slightly. Two years ago he would have just simply smiled and told me the dastardly plans for the day.

"Gabriel", I retorted with a less obvious bow of my own. Perhaps a sign to him he didn't have to be so stiff around me. I wasn't as close to Gabriel as Michael was, but we were pretty fond especially since Juno and I were good friends.

"I apologize for interrupting your scripture reading", he eyed my empty desk with a flicker of question in his eyes; probably because that three hundred pound book wasn't on there. "The Monsieur's have requested an audience with our Company in two hours time".

"What is it about?" I couldn't help but ask.

His blue eyes stared right through me as his lips tugged upwards into a half smile, "You should know by now that they never tell me anything".

_I wish I did. _I wanted to say, but I smiled in return and inclined my head, "I will prepare then".

Gabriel left without another word only the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Suddenly I felt a draft in the room and instinctively turned ready to fight whoever it is that's broken into my quarters.

"Could he get any more uptight these days?" Michael was leaning against my wall with his arms crossed over his broad chest. His dark eyes lingered on the door where his friend departed.

I rolled my eyes mimicking his stance, "You know you could just knock on my door instead of traversing the ledges of a hundred story building".

His eyes shifted to me as a grin played across his full lips, "That's no fun though". As if this was his house he sat backwards on my desk chair, "Besides can't have any of the other Priest thinking were engaging in any _inappropriate_ behavior now can we?"

I chuckled moving in the bathroom to change into my Priest robes, "Is sneaking into my room considered _inappropriate_ behavior?"

"Who knows", he called back from my bedroom. "What do you think the Clergy wants?" I heard shuffling of drawers and poked my head out of the bathroom to find him going through a stack of papers.

"What are you doing?" I quickly ran over with only one boot on and tried to snatch them away. "Put those back!"

"Well well whats this", Michael smirked standing on his tip toes so I couldn't reach them. Damn him for being so much taller than me.

"They're nothing, quit snooping and give them back!" I was actually jumping to meet the height of his hands in vain.

"_Gray, sheets of gray_

_Colors fawn outside the barrier_

_But Gray; sheets of gray",_ he read aloud in a mocking sort of tone.

"Ughh", I huffed throwing my arms up in exasperation, giving up on prevention.

"My my my Heather", he grinned "I've known you for twelve years and all this time you never mentioned you were poetic".

My covers rumpled as I threw myself down on them burying my reddened face into a pillow, "I know it's awful".

I felt him sit down next to me and pat my head like some poor puppy, "Now I didn't say it was awful it's actually really good"

One eye peeked up at him, "Really?"

Everything was silent as he continued reading to himself. I watched his dark eyes roam back and forth over the papers. He set the papers down on the bed with a smile when he was finished, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

I shrugged sitting cross legged on the bed, "I don't know I figured you'd think it was…."

"Weird", he finished, "Well yea it is pretty weird".

I punched him in the arm hard enough to where it would cause a bruise later. He laughed clutching the darkening spot, "I especially liked that one about the two lovers in the tree".

"It's a story my mom used to tell to me. I couldn't remember a lot of it, but what I could I wrote down"

He seemed to mull the thought over in his head. Heaving a sigh he laid back on my bed with his arms under his head, "Do you remember your mom?"

My eyes lingered in space for a while as I tried to conjure up a picture in vain. Frustratingly I shook my head, "It's all a blur. I can hear her sometimes in my dreams, but I can't see her. Probably because I can't even remember what she looks like".

His dark eyes probed me under half closed lids, "I remember a farm, and my dad, barely".

I scooted closer. Since he was taken when he was twelve he remembered more than most of us. I was always intrigued by his stories; though, I knew it pained him to tell me of them.

He took my signal to continue with a small smile, "Every morning before sunrise I would have to get up and tend to all the animals before noon. It was a pain, but for some stupid reason I liked it".

"What kind of animals?"

"Chickens, cows goats you name it".

"Horses?" I asked mainly because I liked horses. You hardly saw any healthy ones these days, but when I did I spared a second too long to watch them.

He leaned up draping an arm over his propped knee with a smile, "Yes Heather, horses too".

We stared at each other for what felt like minutes. Our eyes intermingled; lost in each other's hidden memories and feelings. I could never talk to Juno the way I could Michael. She was always so lost in Gabriels' well being I felt violated if I mentioned a problem of mine.

I heaved a sigh, "I wish I could remember as much as you do".

He dropped his gaze and shrugged, "Well, maybe one day the Monsieur's will grow a heart and let us visit our homes again".

I knew that wasn't a possibility at the least percentage, but grinned anyway, "Maybe you can teach me how to ride a horse then too huh?"

He chuckled taking my wrist in his palms and fiddling with my bracelet, "Maybe".

I watched him twist the silver cross attached to the leather around, "Do you think the Clergymen have found the Queen? You think that's why they want to meet with us?"

Michael look up at me, "Maybe. They never ask to see all of us unless it's something important".

"Do you think they'll send us after her?"

A hint of malice shot through his eyes for a brief second, "Knowing the Monsieur's I'm sure they will".

I nodded in agreement and ran my hand through my hair in frustration, "They would see it as a chance to rid the world of vampires".

Michael stood suddenly and walked over to the window, "They would see it as a chance to rid the world of us".

My mouth fell open, " What are you saying?"

"Just think of it Heather", he turned to me, "The Queen is no threat to us and neither are her vampires. There are too few of them and too many of us. We've wiped them out and rounded them up in cages for target practice. The Monsieur's hardly have a use for us now, and they either want us dead or want us to try and blend in to society".

"If that was the case then why would they spend over ten years training _us_?" I retorted with a slight cock to my hips. I have never seen Michael so….paranoid.

He only shrugged scrunching up his lips in anger, "A failsafe maybe. Tell me Heather when was the last time we went out on an actual hunt?"

It took me a moment to think, "A year ago….maybe two?" It was true now that most of the vampires were wiped out we've spent most of our days training and reading texts.

"Exactily. They're hiding in their nest", he gestured violently out the window. "They're going extinct and so will we once they figure out we're useless".

"Okay what's gotten into you?" I asked jumping up from the bed, "For the past few years you've been…obsessed with this..this ..God I don't know what to call it".

His erratic eyes seemed to soften as he realized what he sounded like to me, "I'm just being careful". Michael turned back to the window watching the bustling city below, "I don't want anything to happen to us".

In that instant I tried to find my friend as he faced away from me shadowed in the darkness of my room. He had changed so much. He wasn't a little boy anymore. He wasn't the little boy that was chirpy and bold on my first day. Michael always had a way about him that made me feel safe. Maybe he resembled a characteristic of my father, but I wouldn't know for sure. It was why we've clung together after all these years.

I walked slowly over to him and wrapped a hand around his bicep turning him around, "Nothing will happen to us Michael. They've always needed us and they _will_ always need us". I placed a hand on his cheek and scraped my thumb across his stubble.

His lidded eyes looked down shamefully, "I'm sorry Heather". One hand covered mine; the warmth of it seeping through my gloves.

I nodded in understanding. Michael was in pain. Not the pain I could see, but pain inside him. I only hoped God would help him through it.

"We've been through so much. No matter what happens tomorrow or the next day Michael promise me we'll always be there for each other".

His eyes darted back up to me; sincerity etched in those dark orbs, "You know I promise".

I pulled him in for a hug feeling him tense at first but slowly give in and wrap his arms around my shoulders. This was where I always felt most protected. He was my best friend and we would always have each other's back.

It was minutes later that we both pulled away and I threw up a disarming grin, "Now go get dressed we've got a meeting in an hour".

**Blah I know it's sappy and plotless now, but next chapter will be much more interesting:D REVIEW PLEASE!**


	4. Intrusion

**Ehh not so good with action scenes so bear with me. Also I'm not trying to make Heather a super powered Mary Sue, but she IS a Priest and I assume they're all pretty bad ass right? Anyway your opinions are most welcome. **

**Thank you for the reviews. They actually encouraged me to write this sooner than usual!**

**Here goes…**

My throat tickled as I breathed in the dust thrown up by our bikes.

I shook the vibration out of my hands as I turned off the engine and dismounted. Nine other Priest and Priestess around me did the same staring up at the looming nest before us. It was a large, domelike structure with several caves near the top and had death written all over it. I only hoped our sources were accurate in stating that the place was deserted save for the queen; which in my opinion made no sense at all.

"Are you thinking the same as I?" Juno said beside me as she peered up at the house of the demons.

I held up my hand to shield against the harsh rays of the sun that nestled directly overhead, "That this is a mistake, or that this is foolish?"

"Both", the Asian woman replied glancing over at me. I ignored her stare and swiveled my head in the direction of Michael and Gabriel. They were discussing something out of reach of my ears. Maybe Michael was talking Gabe out of this stupid idea, but I knew it wasn't an idea. It was an order.

"We should just get this over with", I whispered to seemingly no one and tightened my Priest robe around my waist. I ran my hands over the outline of my blades hidden within their depths; mentally preparing myself to use them. The other Priest surrounding us whispered idly amongst themselves; whispers of doubt and suspicion but mostly fear of what was to come. This was the largest hive any Prests' have ever dared to enter.

"Brothers, Sisters", Gabriel walked over to us as we subconsciously gathered around him in a circle. Michael trailed behind him glancing over at me. "Once we enter in line formation spread out throughout the hive and check the perimeter. Kill any stray vampires you find, but meet up at the base in no less than twenty minutes. If we are to kill the Queen then we need the element of surprise on our side, so no unnecessary noises".

His piercing blue eyes remained calm despite the fact we were entering hell, "Let's move".

Uniformly we began our ascent up the thousand foot hive keeping our eyes and ears open for any movement within the caves up above. I dug my gloved hands into the mountain as I hoisted myself up under Michael. The sun beating down on the back of my neck made beads of sweat drop down into my clothes irritating me.

When we were finally on flat surface Michael walked beside me as we made our way up the spiral cliff side dotted with several smaller caves that peered out at us like hollow eyes.

"Whatever happens don't let your guard down", he whispered staring straight ahead at the others.

I used a hand to wipe the sweat off the back of my neck, "No kidding. This is a mistake Michael".

His dark eyes found mine hiding all fear, "I know. Gabriel is determined to find her. I couldn't talk him out of it".

I started to feel an uncomfortable feeling well up at the back of my throat; a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time. The hives' shadow stretched out blinding us from the suns light. The Priest in front of and behind me craned their necks to look above.

"Are you okay?" he asked in almost a whisper, his eyes never leaving mine despite the inclination of the terrain.

I set my jaw, "I'm afraid".

It was a strange thing to admit, especially to Michael since he was a key witness to how fearless I was in battle. We've invaded several small hives and clusters of vampires and none of us so much as blinked, but there was something about this day something that gave me fear. It wasn't a simple group of vampires we were attacking; it was a _supposedly_ empty hive.

Risking revealing our friendly relationship he reached over and gave my forearm a squeeze, "Just keep your eyes and ears open. We'll be fine", his smile put me at ease, but only for a moment as the shadows loomed over me; threatening to swallow me whole.

We reached the mouth of the hive. Everything would be quiet from here on out.

Michael worked his way to Gabriel staring into the hollow cave before him, "I don't know", he whispered to his friend while his depthless eyes searched about. "It feels like our grave".

"The Queen is down here", was Gabriels' reply not moving an inch, "We have our orders".

When Gabriel gave the signal we expanded out behind him in V formation with him being the lead, Michael and Juno flanking him, me behind Michael and rest behind us.

When we were in formation he gave another wave before we steadily advanced forward. The moment our company entered the temperature dropped at least ten degrees. Moisture clung to the engraved walls in droplets and an eerie air drifted through and brushed over my sweat soaked skin. My eyes darted everywhere at once; from the shadows that played on the walls to the slightest trickle of liquid from the ceiling.

Gabriel held up his fist and with both arms he gestured to the left then to the right.

Stealthily, I drew my blades as everyone around me did the same and in single file separated from the V and into our own tunnels. My nerves tingled and my muscles clenched in anticipation for anything as I walked along the forsaken hole; my group disappearing behind me making me feels alone. My boots crunched lightly and I wanted to cringe at every sound that grated my ears. I used every sense to stretch out beyond my body as I was taught. If it wasn't for the dim light coming from the main cavern I wouldn't be able to see past my own nose. It smelled of mildew and the wind almost made the cavern feel as if it were breathing.

I rounded a corner several minutes later and came to an edge where I could overlook the entire hive. I marveled at how massive and how cleverly designed it was. The Queen would be at the bottom lair underneath it all. I was sure of it. Whether she would be alone remains to be seen. I saw pinpricks of shadows I knew were the other nine Priest scittering throughout the hive tunnels.

Something touched my shoulder and I spun around bringing my blades along with me. In a flash I had the figure pinned against the wall.

"Easy darling it's me", Michael whispered his stern grip on my wrist the only thing that kept the knife point away from his throat. He seemed surprised at how on edge I was. Perhaps because my eyes were about as wide as saucers at this point.

I stepped back hissing at him, "Don't do that".

He straightened himself rubbing where the back of his head made impact with the wall, "I was checking on you. My levels clear, no sign of anything".

We both started making our way down to join the others, "I'm sure if they _were_ here they would have known of us by now".

"Then hopefully it's desolate, and we can leave this hell hole", he muttered before jumping down a twenty foot ledge and joining with five others who have finished their sweep. I muttered an agreement before following suite. There were seven of us here waiting on the others who would soon join so we could continue deeper into the hive.

While Michael conversed with Juno about something I couldn't hear I moseyed off and away from the group to the nearest wall. I came to a halt when the heel of my boot crunched on something hard. I reached down and picked up the jagged object. Holding it up in the dim light I saw it was the remains of a bone; a human bone from the looks of it. In fact, it was the remains of a hand. They looked old but not ancient; at least a few months worth.

I looked over and saw Michael searching the crowd of people before his eyes caught mine, a sign of relief reflecting in them as he made him way over. I propped my hand up on the wall, but quickly retaliated when I felt something sticky and wet squish between my gloved fingers. I lifted it into the light and my eyes widened. Vampire saliva.

"Michael-"

"It's a trap", we both heard Gabriel whisper, but only too little too late.

Out of the black, Helena, a dark skinned Priestess who's trained with my company since I could remember, screamed as she disappeared into the ground. Her clothed arms flailed and her eyes so full of fear I could see it ten feet away. My brain couldn't keep up with the quickness of the next events that played out before me.

I unsheathed my swords, clenching the hilts so hard my knuckles turned white. A vampire lunged out of one of the vacant tunnels and slammed into another brother of mine while he was unaware. It _was_ a trap. Screeches filled the air as several more revealed themselves, bald heads twitching as their long teeth dripped with the same substance on my hands. Their sinewy body's crawling along the dark walls like wraiths.

Michael left my side, his own weapons drawn, to aid a sister. My attention was taken from him when another white demon sprang at me from a cave located above my head. Its long claws scraped along my back before I ducked and rolled to the side. A burst of wind and I knew it had cut me. Using the momentum I gained I rolled myself back up and lunged through the air slicing its neck nearly in two. It dropped lifelessly to the floor. Another two came at me from both sides, raving at me as I bolted forward so I couldn't be caught in their snare. Brothers and Sisters around me were lost in their own battles as I drew the two away from the crowd and up an adjacent wall. My heart pounded as I strained to remember the trainings and experiences I had dealing with vampires. They were erratic and determined which gave them a weakness.

As I ran in a semi circle around the main chamber the two vampires following fought with each other to stay ahead; one crawling alongside the wall and the other next to it, parallel to the floor. I could hear their claws scraping against the rock as they neared. I needed to make a move soon.

The next engagements were so fast I couldn't comprehend them for a brief moment. I saw a flash of Michaels face in the crowd of vampires and Priest fighting below, before another flicker of a silver object soaring through the air and attaching itself to the chest of the vampire nearest to me. I had to remember to thank him. The second creature hurdled over its dead counterpart, mouth clamping open and shut in anticipation for its next meal.

I leaped down from the ledge hearing the pounding of its' clawed footsteps right behind me. I sheathed one sword and pulled out a shrunken in the shape of a cross and about the width of my palm. I strained my ears to hear the timing of the vampires' footsteps, but could hardly discern them from the thudding of my own heartbeat. I was running out of room and out of time.

In one motion, when the time was just right I stopped, turned and ducked down, laying flat on my back with my knees under me. The vampire leaped, missing my body and catapulted over me. As it was in midair I launched the cross shaped weapon up, hitting it straight in the chest. It convulsed as it landed then went still.

Adrenaline pulsed through my veins causing my vision to blur. I heard Gabriel's grunts as he finished off a demon with a dagger to its temple. There were bodies everywhere; at least four of them were Priest caught off guard in the first seconds of attack. They were moving so fast, and they were everywhere; crawling out of holes and even out of the ground. We had to get out of here.

Holding my blades in front of me I ran over to aid Juno whom had a vampire on top of her about ready to devour her face. My brown eyes darted everywhere looking for Michael. Where was he?

I kicked the vampire off of Juno and she finished it with a practiced stab to its' chest. Her eyes thanked me, but shifted over to Gabriel as he ran by.

"Get to the surface!" was all the remaining six Priest needed to hear to start darting into the tunnels. Vampires scuttled after us, separating into different holes probably to find a way to cut us off. I lingered to the back of the line, my eyes darting everywhere for Michael.

Another Priest named Jin grabbed my arm and forced me to head toward the surface, rambling things I couldn't comprehend. I stumbled and started to fall into step; at least until a clawed hand wrapped around my ankle making me smack into the hard rock.

In a millisecond the vampire was on top of me. Its massive arms pinning my chest down as it roared in my face. I saw my pathetic life flash before my eyes, and just for a second I could picture my mother and father together holding me the day I was born. Whether it was actually them or an image I conjured up out of thin air I wasn't sure, and frankly I couldn't care less.

As I thought my life would end then and there and blade shot through its mouth from the backside of it's' head. The lifeless vampire was thrown back and I was yanked up on my feet and being forced to move.

"I thought I told you to watch yourself kitten", Michael gritted falling in step behind me. If I had the energy I would have conjured up a smart aleck reply.

I could hear the growls and shrieks of other vampires behind us, the heat made it feel as if the tunnel was alive. Maybe I was so afraid I could even feel their breaths running down my neck, but that was just Michael huffing behind me while one of his hands pushed against my back to keep me going.

We were coming upon a split in the tunnels up ahead, "Take the left one!"

"You!" I asked, hearing the contemplation in his voice.

"Just go!" With a final shove he boosted me into the left tunnel while he disappeared into the right. As soon as the other vampires following us scampered in his direction I realized why he split off. Fear settled in the lump at the back of my throat, but I couldn't impede long enough to swallow it down.

My rib cages rattled from all the pumping my lungs and heart were doing against them, and I lost all feeling in my legs. I was running off of adrenaline and fear.

As if God was answering to my pain a pinprick of light could be seen ahead, and that pinprick of light turned into an exit from this hell. I bursted into the sunlight, collapsing on the cliffside as I sucked in all the available oxygen I could. The hot rays against my skin felt like heaven while a breeze brushed against my sweat slicked skin.

I have never been so happy to be back in the wasteland. I laid there for minutes as I fought the urge to black out.

_Michael. _I forced myself up feeling the pain in my arms. In front of a cave a level above me, five Priest were settled around the dark hole staring solemnly into it.

Running off of Gods energy I climbed up to them. That was when I noticed my head and hands were bleeding from the ascent to daylight. A brush of cool air told me my back was still bleeding as well.

Four Priest were settled around Gabriel who stared at the ground with his fist clenched up in balls. Before I was close enough he whispered something to Juno. Her eyes were dark and sad, and that's when I noticed.

"Where's Michael?" I asked looking around. Perhaps he exited out another cave.

Gabriel stopped in front of me, a good distance away from the others as they stood watching. His hands found each other within the sleeves of his robes. The lead Preists' blue eyes stared straight through mine like an endless blue fire searing through my skull.

"He's gone Heather".

My world crashed around me.

**Dun dun dunnnnnnnn! REVIEW PLEASE!**


	5. Fugitive

**Sorry this took so long. Schools being a pain and having to get up at 5 every morning to run is starting to take its' toll on me in the evening. THANK YOU for the reviews! They're my inspiration!**

**Anyway leggo!**

An arm latched around my wrist nearly yanking me off my feet.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gabriel asked halting me from my descent back into the caves.

I tried to tug out of his grasp but he held fast, "Going after Michael!" I hissed.

He tried to hide the sadness in his voice. He tried to cover it with the tone of a leader that could make all problems go away, but he failed. I could see right past it, "He's gone Heather".

"You don't know that!" I screamed still trying to pull away. Juno watched with the rest of the Priests, her throat constricting as tears began forming in her eyes. "You don't know he's gone!"

Gabriel pulled me closer to where I was inches from his face, "Vampires don't take prisoners. You know this Priestess!"

With newfound strength despite everything I pulled away, "He's your friend!" I looked at the group of Priest huddled around one another, " He's your brother!" I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I haven't been able to cry in years.

"How could you just him go?" I whispered bringing a snarl to my lips.

Gabe placed a hand on my shoulder, giving my strained tendons a squeeze, "I did all I could Heather, he was-"

"Don't say it!" I pulled away again jumping back, "You knew it was a risk to go down there. Don't tell me you did all you could when YOU could have prevented this. Now look!" I gestured to the remaining. "Five of us are dead!"

He set his jaw,"We had our orders. The Monsieur's-"

"When will you realize the Monsieur's don't care about us?" I whispered glancing back into the hole. I clutched the beaded cross necklace around my throat, "Michael was right this is all a mistake".

"Heather" he said in warning, "Consider what you're saying. Don't let your emotions get in the way of your duty as a Priestess".

In one motion I yanked the holy trinket off my neck. The beads slid off hitting the dirt until all that was left on the chain was the silver cross held securely in my palms. I glared at the surprised expression on his face. There was no turning back now.

"I will no longer be their puppet", I dropped the cross into the dirt and turned on my heel to walk down the hive. Knowing that Michael was gone from my life and that everything I had ever done was a lie I felt a strange sense of relief and a large measure of pain inside me as well. I wanted to walk into the desert until I collapsed from exhaustion; until I found purpose in my life again.

Gabriel calling my name was soon just a whisper in the wind.

.

.

.

.

The hours blended in to each other as I rode through the wasteland. Structures, mountains and abandoned buildings flew past me in a haze along with flashes of my memories with Michael. I had the handles gripped so hard the humming of the bike vibrated through my bones and rattled my skull. I was so lost in fury and grief that I almost didn't realize the medium sized town that split up from the horizon. The orange sunset sinking into the West bathed it in a fiery pool.

_Jericho. _It looked so foreign despite the fact that I grew up there. The only part I could remember was that my old house was only right down the street from the church. It was the only place I knew where to go. My heart fluttered in my chest. Would they recognize me? Were they alright? Would they turn me away after seeing what I was and that I've turned my back on the church. The small holo map on my bike bleeped when I was ten kilometers from the city.

I parked behind an old building on the outskirts of town and set the alarms to notify me if anyone tried to tamper with the bike. If anyone tried to even touch it they'd get a nice little shock as a warning. I kept my hood low on my head to cover the cross tatoo. The last thing I needed was any friars catching a glimpse of me and warning the Monsieur's . The town was bustling with afternoon life as people prepared to turn in for the evening. I tried not to appear out of place but I found it difficult in spite of the fact I stood out like a sore thumb. I needed to find some regular clothes, but I couldn't wait much longer.

People stared at me as I walked by, whispering and pointing. Kids asked their parents who I was, but their parents just pulled them a long out of my path. I strayed as far away as I could from the church, and skirted around the town until I finally stopped in front of the wilting structure.

Everything came back as I stood in front of my old house. It was almost as if time hadn't touched it. The makeshift fence surrounding the small property still looked as brittle as it did twelve years ago. The small tree in the front yard still couldn't bloom due to the radiation in the soil, and just sat there like boney hands reaching for the sky. A rope attached to one of the lower branches where a swing used to be.

A lump formed in the back of my throat as I pushed open the creaky fence and walked up the overgrown pathway. An image of me skipping along the stepping stones and singing 'Jesus Loves Me' along with my mom played like a slideshow through my eyes. Shaking myself back into reality I took a deep breath, stepped up on the porch and knocked on the door.

Moments later I heard latched being unlocked then the door opened slowly. A small, pixie like face peered out at me. I looked down into the dark hazel eyes and forced a smile on my face. The little girl only offered a half smile back as she pulled the door all the way open. She was at least eleven or twelve, with short, brown hair and big curious eyes. My mouth opened to speak but no words fell out.

"Who's at the door Angel?" a hoarse almost sick voice called at from somewhere in the back.

The little girl took one step back and turned her head, "I think it's a Priestess uncle". Her voice was mature and strong just like mine was when I was her age.

"A Priestess? Well let her in".

The girl, Angel, opened the door and stepped aside watching me closely and curiously.

"Thank you" I said with a smile keeping my arms within my sleeves as I stepped within. The place was much smaller than I remembered. It consisted of a small fireplace, broken down furniture, and a bed over in the far corner where an old man lay. He looked to be in his late fifties with shaggy hair graying and running down his face. The house was warm and smelled of vanilla just as I had remembered.

"I haven't seen a Priest around these parts in years", the elder man replied standing then walking over to a steaming pot of tea on a stove. It was as if he was nothing more than a bundle of sticks tied together under a robe. He wasn't too old, but malnourished maybe.

"Very rarely are we allowed to leave the walls", I replied watching him as he poured two cups of hot tea. I tried to find something familiar in this man, but nothing came up.

His shaking hands froze as he set the pot down, "You are not here to take anyone are you?" His aged eyes glanced at the young girl still standing by the door.

"No", I replied quickly as I felt a strange moment of déjà vu.

The fear left his eyes but was replaced with a look of confusion, "Then why are you here Priestess?"

He offered the tea up to me and I took it with a ginger smile. It was warm and smelled of a slight mint.

"I…was taken from this home over twelve years ago by The Church. I guess I was hoping to find my parents". I shook my head staring down into the dark liquid in the cup, "I knew it was a pointless journey".

The elder man sat across from me on the broken down couch, "Angel and I have lived in this house for almost five years. We moved here from a small farming community not too far away after both her parents ,and my brother, were killed by raiders. Only a lone man lived in this house before me, at least until he passed. He might have had a wife, but I think she died of sickness a few years before him. He was a soft-spoken man with the saddest eyes".

I felt like I should have been hurting. I just found out that my father was dead, and possibly my mother too, but I couldn't feel anything at this point. Perhaps I knew it to be, or perhaps the fact that I can't even remember what they're like it's like they never even existed. Only vague pictures and sounds reminded me of them. There was no smiling face, no soft touches, no childhood memories of fishing with me and my father.

"I am sorry child" the old man said and was about to reach out to me before I shot up, chunking the ceramic cup against the floor.

"They've taken everything from me!" I shouted jumping off the sofa. My hands clasped over my face as I hunched down on the floor. No tears fell, but I wanted them too. I needed to cry. The pain and anger was building up inside me like a dormant volcano and sooner or later I would explode.

I felt along my wrist where the bracelet would normally be, but there was nothing. "What?" I whispered looking down at the empty space where my father's trinket usually is. I must have lost it in the nest. How could I have been so careless? It was the only thing I had left of them. Everything was just falling apart.

I felt the pair staring at me from behind. The anger in me subsided as I breathed in and out slowly then turned around to look them in the eyes, "I'm sorry for coming into your home". Green, big opticals stared at me from under the arm of her uncle. She reminded me so much of me when I was young. She was youthful, happy and strong. She was all the Church took away from me".

"Can I ask you a favor?" I said standing and straightening out my robes, "Do you remember his name? The man that lived here before me?"

"Thomas", the elder replied, "Thomas Black I believe". The arm around the youngling tightened.

Black. I repeated in thought. My last name was Black.

I wrapped my cloak tighter around myself, "Do yourself a favor. Get as far away from the church as possible. They'll take her away without so much as a second thought". With that sentence lingering in the air I fled the house.

I couldn't stand being in that house anymore ,so back into the small town I went until I caught sight of a saloon. It was a rickety joint with a faded, blinking sign. I noted it and walked into a general store right next to it. The place was mostly empty thank god. A woman at the back placing things on shelves turned and looked at me, "Can I help you miss?" She couldn't quit staring at my forehead.

"I need some clothes", I stated very clearly. I wasn't the most skilled at talking to new people, "Some that won't make me…stand out as much".

The fairly young woman nodded in understanding as she looked me up and down, "I see". She walked over to an outfit folded neatly on a shelf. "How about this?" she held the outfit, which turned out to be a long brown dress, out in front of her. "It looks about your size".

I grimaced. I've never worn a dress before. I always thought of them as too restricting. I liked freedom and looseness to move around.

"No?" she said huffing then turned back around to shuffle through some more general clothing until she walked up to me with an armful. "You didn't look like the type anyway. How about these instead?"

She held out a pair of brown pants, black button up shirt and jacket with a brown belt. I smiled at the thought of wearing normal clothes for once, but then it hit me. I didn't have any currency on me. Hell, I was a Priestess we didn't even get paid. All I had in my possession was a bike, weapons and the robes on my back.

"You don't like these either?" she asked confused and a little impatient.

"No, no they're perfect", I drug a hand through my hair, "I don't have any money".

The saleswoman bit her lower lip and looked me up and down skeptically, "Figures, don't worry about it. Consider it a gift for your services". I noted the hint of sarcasm dripping from her throat, and that fake smile that was supposed to cover it. It made an inaudible growl settle at the back of my throat. Many people didn't like Priest, but that's because they were fed with lies.

"Thank you", I replied taking the clothes. I changed in a back room making sure to stop by the mirror on my way out. It wasn't too tight or too loose which was perfect. I tucked my weapons away within the pockets of them. Satisfied I left leaving the snobby saleswoman with a glare despite her generosity. I would have rather been cast aside than be lied to.

The saloon next door was more packed than the store. Men and catering women dressed like prostitutes sat around round, wooden tables accompanied with flagons of beer and god knows what other kid of liquid. Some prospectors were playing cards, others were simply laughing obnoxiously and groping any nearby waitresses that walked by. I had half a mind to turn around and leave, but my growling stomach and dry throat told me otherwise.

The smell of cigars caressed my nose as I pushed through the overflowing tables and found an empty stool at the end of the bar. Men everywhere took a stare at me before they saw the cross on my head then their eyes quickly darted away. I fought the urge to groan out loud and roll my eyes. Somehow I'm going to burn this damn tattoo off.

"A Priestess in a bar huh? I guess I've seen it all", the bartender slid a tall glass down to me and instinctively I grabbed it to keep it from crashing to the ground. The large bellied, bearded man chuckled while he wiped a glass down in his hands, "On the house young lady".

I looked down into the amber liquid. It smelled foul but I took a drink anyway; thinking I might as well get used to the hardy beverages of the wasteland. My face cringed as it burned going down my esophagus. It tasted like….well I wasn't sure but it tasted awful.

I hadn't noticed the barkeep watching me still until he laughed once again, "What a rebel you are aren't you? Downing your first beer I see".

My eyes pierced his with an annoyed glare, but I softened it after a few moments. "I guess you could say that".

"Names Panzon, a friend of yours", he said with a cheerful smile, leaning against the counter.

I raised a brow and leaned back as he invaded my personal space, "I don't even know you".

He mimicked my facial expression then pulled out a black package from under the counter, "This is some food that'll get you through the night".

I stared at the package as he slid another drink down to a patron who was yelling for a drink profusely.

"What is this for?"

His dark eyes found mine, "Because little girl there are some people in this town that don't like your kind. The church will be here any minute, so I suggest you get a move on". How he could state that so casually was beyond me.

My shoulders tensed defensively and I turned my head to look backwards. Some of the men that dared made eye contact with me glared daggers into my face. How stupid was I to come into a bar full of outcast of the cities bearing a cross on my damn forehead? The Church would offer them a hefty reward for my return; whether they wanted me dead or alive remains to be seen.

"There's a back door", the barkeeper, Panzon, said snapping my attention back forward, "Don't want to be spilling any blood now do we?" He must have seen my hands gliding the outline of my daggers.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

"Just a friend helping a friend. I used to live in the big city. It's made up of nothing but lies and slavery".

I couldn't help but let my mouth drop a little. I hadn't expected this kind of help from anyone. It was kind of relieving in a way.

"Get going girl".

Grabbing the package I nodded and slowly made my way to the back door feeling the eyes of every man and woman following me. None of them would dare touch me though. They knew the consequences of trying to harm a member of the Church. As I stepped out into the cool night air it was like everything hit me at once. I had lost Michael, lost my long forgotten parents and my old way of life. Already I was made a fugitive and I would be hunted relentlessly by the Church. Anger and a painful sadness entered my chest and worked its way down my spine, and suddenly I wanted to kill something; a vampire, anything. Perhaps I should go back in there and teach a few of them outlaws a lesson. Maybe that would satisfy my sudden thirst for blood.

I only knew that from here on out I, myself, was a fugitive, and it was their fault.

I will make them pay.


	6. Raiders and Confrontation

(One Year Later…..)

(Smokey' POV)

The night was restless in the small town of Bethlehem, and so were my boys. We waited until it was the blackest: until the sun went down and blanketed the area in a sheet of darkness. Their helpless citizens scuttled to their homes, locking their doors and turning out their lights. They had no protection out here in the wilderness. They were too far West for the Church to care. It was too small of a town that consisted only of a single saloon, farm houses and a general supply. No one would miss it. He only hoped that one bandit he heard of had moved on since last month.

I looked to my right at Chuckles. He was my second in command of the Jackals a tall, lanky guy with a spiky mohawk. We were a small time gang that looted and pillaged small town for their women and goods. We would go in at night when their law enforcement had their heels propped up on desk and hats over their eyes. I licked my lips then grinned as Chuckles did the same.

"Ready boss?" he asked with that dark glint in his eye. He held his worn shotgun up at the ready. Five other guys behind me stirred with their trigger fingers itching to kill something. They've been too deprived for too long.

"Let's go boys!" I replied baring my teeth like a starved wolf.

We left our bikes behind a collection of tall boulders and started sprinting toward the nearest bunch of buildings. Our forms remained hidden in the shadows and everything was silent save our callous breaths panting. I promised these boys riches and the youngest of the women; which was fourteen by the looks of her as she crossed the street before sunset. Scorpion claimed her as quick as one could blink.

Shouting and hollering we ran into the main street, lighting bottles of alcohol on fire and tossing them into the small sheriffs house. I ran into the shamble of a building to finish off the 'man of the law' only to find he was already passed out on the floor with a whiskey bottle in his hand. I roared with laughter. It couldn't be any easier.

I could hear screaming of women from outside and my ears perked in interest and anticipation for my next mate. Deciding to leave the sheriff to be burned alive, I made my way outside. What few people were in this town were already scrambling across the streets to escape to their horses. Some of the men were fighting my Jackals feebly with pitchforks and whatever else they could find. Such weakness.

I placed my hands on my hips and stood proudly in front of the burning sheriff's office. My lips pulled back into an evil grin. _Another town, another profit. _

"Look Smokey!" Chuckles' spikey-haired form drug the fourteen year old girl into view. She struggled, bit and fought every second of it, but it was vain. He had already staked his claim.

Tears poured from the young woman's eyes as Chuckles nuzzled her neck, "Don't worry it will only hurt a litt-" the sound of blade impacting with flesh interrupted him. His eyes went wide and the girl slipped out of his hands and darted away. Taking a single step he fell over, the fire light glinting off a silver dagger handle protruding from his back.

"Jackals!" I screeched and pulled out my gun as a dark figure darted across the rooftops of the saloon. By the time I shot in that direction it had moved away so quick I couldn't tell where it was. Was it even human?

Out of the corner of my eye it made another appearance. The person sprinted by so fast it looked like nothing but a haze as it brought a blade around in an arc and sliced through Scorpions stomach, knocking his gun away, then another long silver blade was thrown and hit Black Jack square in the chest. From the shadows that played upon the ground I knew it was a female.

"Shoot her! Shoot her now you sons of bitches!" I raged at the remaining three men. They released their wailing women and pulled out their own weapons. For a moment I saw the woman's eyes widen as she made a dash for the cover of a building and disappeared into an alley.

I glanced at my diced up comrades pooled in their own blood; a snarl came to my lips. "Find her! I want her head!" No one messed with the Jackals.

My three remaining Jackals separated into different alleys of the main street. I slipped in to the one she ran off into keeping to the shadows with my gun held high. It was black as hell here with only the dancing flames of the sheriffs house lighting up small nicks of the town.

I heard a scream and ran towards it to find Razor strung up by his neck. His eyes were hollow and depthless; his mouth distorted into a silent scream.

"God damn you!" I shot into the sky, mainly at the ledges of the houses along the main road. "Show yourself coward!"

Another grunt of pain came from a hundred meters away, but I didn't bother run toward it. The hell I was finished. The crazy bitch can live for all I give a damn! Still clutching the rifle like it was my lifeline I darted as fast as my legs could take me to the outskirts of town. I sprinted into the main street leaving behind my fallen comrades. I could always find new ones, better ones than a few crack heads with an itchy trigger finger.

Just as I was about to round a corner and head into freedom my line of sight was covered with the blackness of a boot. I swore something broke when it made contact with my nose. My body was thrown three feet back from the sheer strength of a kick. What kind of woman had that kind of strength?

I looked up groaning from my bloodied nose. After the dots cleared I saw a tall, built silhouette of a woman dressed all in black, hair braided down her backside and eyes that could have been the jewels of hell themselves. All in all, she was terrifying.

Using the same boot she pushed me back into the dirt. Her face came into the light and that's when I knew what she was. Underneath her matted bangs a cross tattoo led down to the middle of her nose.

"Tell me _Jackal_, what am I?" she dug her heel into my ribcage as she hissed between her teeth. Her voice was sensual and dark.

I grunted against the pain, spitting out gobs of blood, "Fuck you!"

She tsked, brought a fist around and hit me hard in the face, "Answer me!" With the force of a brick wall she proceeded to back hand me against the ground.

Dazed I was thrown back into the dirt, rolling and groaning until she picked me up by my jacket collar and brought me close to her young face. She couldn't have been much older than twenty eight, "Who am I?"

"A fucking Priest!"

"No!" She thrust me back, "My name is Heather ,and I kill people like _you_ for a living". She stood, brushing her long sleeves off like she had just completed a daily task.

The sound of knuckles cracking brought my head up and she pulled another knife from its sheath attached to her calf. It looked barely longer than her hand but sharp as fuck.

"Get out of here, and if I see your face around these parts again", the woman ran her gloved fingers sensually up the blade until the tip, "Our next meeting won't be as pleasant". Just the sound of her threatening voice brought chills to my already frozen spine.

Without questioning I crawled away until I could regain my legs again with every intention of bringing way more men next time. I wouldn't let myself live knowing a single woman could hold so much power. She had to die.

(Heather POV)

I wiped the blood on my gloves off on my pants, and waited until he was a good thirty meters away before I launched the knife. It spiraled and made square contact between his shoulders. The man was plague from the start, and no good would have come from letting any of them live. As soon as his yelping echo died into the night I turned around and headed for my house on the outskirts of town.

This is how it's been for the past year, or has it really been a year? It's felt like a life time.

I wouldn't say anything to the townsfolk. They paid me enough just to keep them safe not to talk to them after the deeds were done. It was the only way I could get by in the world, and the only place that would accept someone of my background. After making sure the drunken sheriff was pulled safely out of the burning building I walked away ignoring the stares of gratitude and fear from the men and women that parted as I went through them. They were grateful for me, but at the same time feared me. I could tell by the look in their eyes and how they just barely scooted away when I was near them.

My house was just a small, shamble of a building consisting of only a living room and a single bedroom. Compared to what my room was like in the city it was paradise. Lighting a few candles I settled down to read a pre war book with a cup of amber ale. So this was my life from here on out, I thought nonchalantly, as my eyes danced across the old text; my mind half into the book and half wandering into space.

I set the book aside and took a ginger sip of the cold beverage letting my lips trace the edges of the liquid before I spoke, "So how did you find me?"

A figure slid out of the dark in a wraith like motion, "It wasn't too hard. You're not keeping too low of a profile".

"How clumsy of me", I bitterly replied setting the cup down on the coffee table, "been hunting long?"

I felt the figure move behind me, "It's a big wasteland". Goosebumps rose on my skin as I felt the tension in the air tighten like a noose around a scrawny neck.

I stood up and turned. "So they sent you to track me down? Aren't you their prized Priest?"

Gabriel hadn't changed much in the past year; in fact he hadn't changed at all. He was still as much of an emotionless statue as he was before. "Shouldn't they have sent someone less important to hunt little old me down?"

He sighed running a hand down his face, "Heather this has gone on long enough. You know the rules of the Church just as well as anyone".

"So you've come all the way to try and take me back?"

He only stared back, the meaning of his words clear in his eyes.

"Ohhh", I nodded, "And if I don't go back you have to kill me right?"

No knife in the world could cut the tension between us now. My muscles tightened ready for anything he might try. It wasn't beyond him to kill a friend to protect his beliefs, and I intended to fight back with every ounce of strength I could muster.

His eyes dropped and I could see the regret start to pool around his pupils, "I'm sorry about Michael Heather. Not a night has gone by when the nightmare don't plague me", his shoulders sagged slightly. "If I could have changed anything…" He let loose a ragged breath, "I know you were his friend".

"I loved him Gabriel".

Light blues locked with mine in surprise, but he said nothing.

"That's right. I loved him. Before him I never had anything to connect me to the world after my life was taken from me, but when I met him everything changed. I was able to bear the existence that was forced on me as a little girl. He was all I had", my voice didn't waiver and my lips didn't tremble. It was as if a ten ton weight had been lifted from my shoulders when I finally revealed in words how I felt. As Priest and Priestesses, we weren't allowed to love unless it was God's love. Our emotions were shoved so far deep in us they weren't permissible to surface. Gabriel was always the perfect example that. Maybe that's why they chose him as the leader.

The Priest stood in front of me, his lips moving but not able to form words. He knew all too well how it felt to lose someone you loved. It was one thing Michael never revealed to me about him. He would say it was a friend's trust they had not to tell anyone of Gabe's past life, about someone he once loved apparently and lost.

"Come back with me Heather", his voice hacked the strained silence, shaky and uncertain. "The Priest are no more in the city; we are no longer needed".

My brow quirked, "Is that so? They finally ridded themselves of us huh".

"We've integrated into society. They feared our power and told us as long as we stay in the city we were allowed to work".

I couldn't help but chuckle, "Like caged animals. Michael was right about them then".

His jaw tightened, "It is better than living as a fugitive always on the run, and killing for pay. You do the devils work Heather".

"Don't you dare fucking tell me what work I do!" I suddenly screamed and even he stepped back in surprise, "I would rather die than live under the leash of a bunch of ancient and ignorant leaders. At least out here I'm protecting someone instead of being a slave!"

"You abuse your power Heather. That is a dangerous thing".

He tensed as I walked so close our noses were nearly touching, "It is the power I sacrificed my life for, and I will use it how I please". Cutting my eyes away I walked over to the table next to my arm chair and took a long swig of the ale, "So if you're planning to fight let's get it over with so I can go to sleep".

I turned back to him expectantly, brown eyes melding with blue without uncertainty. I was not without weapons and he was in my territory now, but the chances of me winning a battle against the strongest of Priest were slim but undefined.

His let out a woosh of air, "You are my friend Priestess; no matter how misguided. I'm not going to live with being the cause of death for two comrades in my life". He pulled his cloak over his head and walked to the door. Before he left he turned his head over his shoulder, "God has not abandoned you Heather. You are still a sister of our family, and you know where to find us".

I waited til the hum of his bike was miles away before I chugged the last of the alcohol down and threw the cup against the wall. I think it's time for a night out.

Throwing up some shorts and a tight black shirt I pulled up my boots and rode my old bike toward the small city of Sodem. It was a city the Church abandoned long ago and now nothing but drinkers, hookers and party goers lived there. It was the only place I could go to drown myself in sorrow without remembering why I was there in the first place.

XOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO(Black Hats POV)XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I watched Gabriel leave, fighting the urge to lunge out at him the moment he stepped out her door. From the look on his face he wasn't as successful as he intended to be. I could tell her words affected him in more ways than he wished. My old friend looked ageless as if time never touched him; he was still just a dog on a leash.

Heather on the other hand…

She had become strong, stronger than the day we were separated. She now thought for herself and finally came to realize what the corruption of the Church truly was. She wasn't afraid to kill, and that's precisely why the queen had chosen her. Even if this was a task by my keeper it was hard to not embrace Heather once I saw her. She was still so very beautiful even in her depression. I had watched her for weeks and reveled in the sensuality of her style of killing those raiders a few hours ago. Her moved were swift and more deadly than last time. Her body language was bold and mature and her eyes showed no remorse when she snuffed out their lives.

I ran my tongue over my teeth. She was more perfect than ever before. I patted my pocket where her father's bracelet had been for the past year. I closed my eyes for a split second remembering the details of my transformation. Everything became so clear. I could hear, feel, smell and see everything as it truly was. I heard her screams and felt her pain from deep within that hive. The queen gave me a gift I intended to share. I wanted the gift to ease her hurt.

Moments later after Gabriel disappeared into the desert she came out dressed in short gray shorts and a black shirt that detailed every curve. Curious I watched her drive away in another direction.

I grinned, revealing two white fangs. She was heading toward Sodem.

**So sorry this took forever I've been sooooooo busy with being a senior and getting ready for college and taking bazillions of test and what nots. Anyway mucho appreciated for the REVIEWS! Must have more!**

**The next chapter will be interesting I hope;) **


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